Is TSA Checking Immigration Status?
Read today's edition of Gate Access • June 16th, 2025
Happy Monday. Here’s what we’re getting into today.
On The Radar - Recent news that caught my eye.
Wild TSA Bag Checks - If I didn’t show you, you’ll never believe me!
Digital Product - Download this free e-guide.
Trump’s Travel Ban - It’s getting lengthy!
GA Instagram - The truth about bag extenders.
Main Topic - Is TSA checking immigration status?
GA Extended Edition - Unlock the tip of the week.
🚨 On The Radar
🟢 U.S. airlines, through the Airlines Reporting Corporation, have quietly sold over one billion passenger records, including names, itineraries, and payment details, to Customs and Border Protection, enabling warrantless surveillance of Americans' domestic travel booked via travel agencies and prompting privacy concerns and calls for transparency. [READ MORE]
🟢 A Florida man was convicted of fraud after impersonating a flight attendant to book over 120 free flights by exploiting weak airline employee verification systems, prompting TSA to replace its Known Crewmember Program with a more secure biometric-based protocol later this year. [READ MORE]
🟢 Starting this fall, Apple Wallet will support digital passports for domestic air travel, allowing TSA checkpoint use but not replacing physical passports for international trips, as customs and border control still require the physical document. [READ MORE]
🟢 The Department of Transportation has delayed enforcement of a Biden-era rule aimed at improving air travel accommodations for passengers using wheelchairs, with the Trump administration citing the need for further review, meaning airlines will not face penalties for non-compliance until at least August 1st. [READ MORE]
😳 Wild TSA Bag Checks
TSA officers at Philadelphia International Airport recently stumbled upon this replica of a gun. They were in for a surprise when they discovered it wasn’t really a gun but actually a hidden knife.
🆓 Digital Product
Please enjoy this free digital download of my Top 5 TSA Tips as a special thank you for supporting this newsletter. These are the tips that I share with my personal friends and family, so I know you’re going to love these.
🚨 Trump’s Travel Ban
A new internal State Department cable reveals the U.S. may soon ban citizens from 36 more countries unless those governments improve passport security, cooperate with deportations, and reduce visa overstays. The State Department is giving these countries 60 days to make changes or face a full or partial ban.
This would add to the 12-country ban already signed earlier this month—and would become one of the largest travel restrictions in U.S. history.
New countries that could face a ban:
Angola, Antigua & Barbuda, Benin, Bhutan, Burkina Faso, Cabo Verde, Cambodia, Cameroon, Côte d'Ivoire, DRC, Djibouti, Dominica, Egypt, Ethiopia, Gabon, Gambia, Ghana, Kyrgyzstan, Liberia, Malawi, Mauritania, Niger, Nigeria, St. Kitts & Nevis, St. Lucia, São Tomé & Príncipe, Senegal, South Sudan, Syria, Tanzania, Tonga, Tuvalu, Uganda, Vanuatu, Zambia, Zimbabwe.
Already banned:
Afghanistan, Myanmar, Chad, Republic of Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Yemen.
Partially restricted:
Burundi, Cuba, Laos, Sierra Leone, Togo, Turkmenistan, Venezuela.
📱Gate Access Instagram
In this post, a passenger was confused when she was forced to check her bag because the extension feature was open. The extender isn’t designed to help you overpack; it’s actually meant to help compress your items and close the bag more easily.
If you leave your carry-on expanded, you might risk having it flagged at the gate or forced into checked baggage, especially on airlines with stricter size policies.
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👀 Is TSA Checking Immigration Status?
A friend of mine sent a video to me of a creator on TikTok claiming that TSA was now checking immigration status and assisting ICE with deportations.
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The info in this video is completely false and untrue.
However, some elements of TSA are helping with ICE efforts. Certain federal employees, including TSA Federal Air Marshals, have been temporarily assigned to ICE for tasks like escorting detainees on removal flights.
These deployments underscore a broader strategy by DHS to repurpose personnel and assets in support of interior immigration initiatives. While TSA’s core responsibility remains aviation security, some of its specialized agents have been detailed to assist ICE under specific operational needs, reflecting the interconnected nature of DHS components while reaffirming that TSA's checkpoint duties do not include immigration enforcement. [READ MORE]
🔓 In Today’s Extended Version
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